


Stick To Your Strengths

by CaptainKirby, that_one_kid



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: My First AO3 Post, My First Work in This Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 16:32:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5212901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainKirby/pseuds/CaptainKirby, https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_one_kid/pseuds/that_one_kid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yes, Hawkeye knows that people think his bow and arrow are stupid. And yes, he has tried using something else. And no, it didn't turn out well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stick To Your Strengths

You know, I do realize that people give me crap for using a bow and arrow. It's annoying, and it's a low blow. But trust me, I've tried using anything else.

In the morning, SHIELD called me in for another Black Widow or Hawkeye style stealth mission. It was the middle of November, so the trees around HQ had turned into that nice orange-red color that looks like a flame. It was a good day. That day started as a damn good day.

I walked inside and received the normal greetings from people dressed in business casual, carrying stacks of paper, because SHIELD generates an outrageous amount of paperwork. I think half of our staff just talks to insurance companies. My day began to take a turn for the worst when the elevator arrived, and I was greeted by none other than Tony Snark.

"Oh, how's it going little black riding hood?" he asked, the goateed fiend.

"Fine, you Mr. Shiny?"

"Good, good. Just marketing a new kind of close combat knife that could potentially reduce the number of deaths per mission by fifty percent."

"How would a knife do that?"

"In simpleton’s terms, the knife's super heated, so the wounds instantly close after their made. We can incapacitate people from the pain without letting them bleed to death. More humane."

"Hmm..."

The elevator stopped, "Oh, this is my stop. Later, Legolas wanna be."

I would've said something, but the doors closed before I could think of a comeback. I paced back and forth a few times, and then went to kick the door in frustration. Sadly, I had arrived at my floor, and someone was waiting to go down, so I kicked an innocent intern in the shin. I apologized profusely as we changed places.

I arrived in Director Fury's office a few minutes late. Melinda May was sitting in a swiveling, plastic, white chair, so she reminded me of most evil heads of corporations. Fury sat in a slightly larger, but still white, swivel chair, and gave me a disapproving look.

"You're late."

"Yeah, I know." I took the only available seat.

"Did you get stopped by the big bad wolf or something?"

"I've already heard the little red riding hood joke today, but you realize that she's different from Robin Hood, right?"

"I wasn't comparing you to Robin Hood."

"Oh."

"Can we get started already?" May asked.

"Fine." Fury tossed a Manila folder across the table. The words "Top Secret" were stamped in red across it. I don't know why they do that. It's just a waste of ink. If it's in a Manila folder, and it's at SHIELD, it's probably Top Secret. They should just say that and stop wasting the guy's time with the stupid stamp.

May opened the folder and pulled out the usual kinds of documents: Pictures, bios, profiles, all with that air of seriousness that accompanies everything she does. If it's game time, it's game time. No smiles allowed. I mean, seriously. May has zero ability to mix business and pleasure.

"It's a Hydra base where we believe they're developing a new kind of weapon." Fury said. I raised my hand.

"Yes, Barton?"

"When has it not been a Hydra base developing a weapon? Can we just assume that if there's a hydra symbol on the briefing papers and a picture of an abandoned Slavic factory, that it's a base developing weapons? Seems like a reasonable assumption."

May ignored my point completely. Typical. "Why do you need us to go instead of sending some of the other agents? This seems fairly routine."

"I would, if I wanted it taken down. But I want you guys to infiltrate in, and gather some information. I'd rather send you two to do a stealth mission than... say... Coulson."

"Why not Coulson?"

"His full team tends to make a good amount of ruckus, and things get out of hand pretty fast."

"True." And there you have it, Melinda May’s complete acceptance of the circumstances for a mission.

"Let's go."

"Good luck Mr. Everdeen." Fury said. But no, I'm not letting this one go.

"What is it today and people making fun the bow and arrow? Is it 'Hate on Hawkeye" Day? You know, I can do more than shoot an arrow. I didn't go through stupid amounts of training for nothing. You know what? You know what? Here." I threw my bow and arrows on his desk, "I'm doing this one without the bow and arrow. I'm getting myself a knife or something."

I stomped my way to the door, and then looked over my shoulder before I left, "And you... sound like Samuel L. Jackson!"

As the doors shut behind me, I could hear Fury yell, "Thank you!"

 

When I got back in the elevator I headed for the floor Tony got off at. I'll show them. I can be useful without my bow and arrow. I'm not just an archer. I'll show them.

I stormed my way to the arsenal where Tony was still showing his knife to bewildered engineers and interns. There are a surprising number of interns at SHIELD given how secret we're supposed to be, but hey. They're good at getting coffee, so I'm not complaining.

"Ah, it's an Orlando Bloom fanboy!" Tony said when he noticed me, "Wait, what happened to your pride and joy?"

"Pride and joy are sitting on Fury's desk. I need your knife."

"What?"

"I'm using your knife." I swiped it off the table and headed back to the elevator.

"It's still in prototyping!"

"I don't care!"

And the elevator doors closed on him this time! I pressed the button for the top floor, where I got out and took a flight of stairs to the roof. May had readied the Quinjet. I could feel her stone cold gaze follow me on board. I took the copilot seat and we took off toward somewhere in eastern Europe. I don't know. I didn't look at the briefing. I was too busy with the stupid "Top Secret" stamp.

"You know, this is a bad idea, Barton." she said after a few minutes of peaceful quiet. I was surprised she'd been the one to break it.

"What do you mean? We're always walking into a trap. That doesn't mean that it's a bad idea."

"No, I mean you not using your bow."

"Oh... I'll be fine."

"Barton, do you remember when you lost your bow in St. Martin?"

"You and I remember St. Martin very differently. Also, I swear you and Natasha bring up past operations just to get me to say that."

"You were useless."

"I was not. As I said, we remember it differently."

"Just don't screw this up."

"I won't, I won't." And the conversation ended there. I practiced some shadow-knifing in the back, so I wouldn't be too rusty. By the time we arrived, I felt pretty confident in my close-combat abilities. We landed smoothly about a kilometer away from the base. It was freezing outside, because Eastern Europe is cold in November. And I was wearing a tank top. Great planning, Barton.

Well, May was in her suit, and she wasn't shivering. Maybe SHIELD uniforms are more insulating than they look. But I think she's just learned to not care about the weather while she's on a mission. We trudged through the snow until we saw the gigantic concrete building where Hydra was developing some kind of new weapon. I'm curious though. How many different kinds of new weapons can you try to make? Maybe they're just trying to make the same weapon, and we just stop them before they finish. We don't know. Yet we always assume that they're developing a new things. Maybe they just want to make pancakes, in a really complicated way.

"You know, I realized that this is a really dumb idea." I said.

"What is it?"

"We're wearing almost all black, and the snow's white, and we're trying to sneak in. Do you see any problems with this?"

"No."

"How?" And, perfectly on time, a supplies van appeared from behind a hill. We both found some trees to hide behind.

"Alright, I'll shoot a trip line across to another tree, and then we steal their uniforms."

"Barton?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you going to shoot a trip line?"

I reached for my arrow, "What do you... oh." I grasped at the air behind my head.

"I got it." May said as she rolled a small ball of technological genius into the middle of the road. When the truck rolled over it, a small spark struck the underside of the truck. The drivers were very confused when their vehicle stopped dead in its tracks. “Well done, Fitz,” she muttered, before running to the driver-side door and kicking the window in, as well as the driver's face. I (remembering that I'm going no-bow this mission), opened the passenger's side, where he was holding a gun. May knocked him unconscious before he riddled me with bullet holes.

"I had that."

"Get in."

"But I totally had that." I said as I got in. Each of us put on a uniform before May started driving toward the factory, base, Hydra thing. The ride was smooth, until we reached a large docking bay door. We waited for a minute before it opened up. A couple of Hydra members directed us inside. May parked the truck and people began to unload whatever cargo we just helped carry in.

We stepped out the door, and headed inside the factory. The concrete walls hold in the cold magnificently, so I was still shivering. I followed May through the unmarked hallways, looking straight at the back of her head. She pulled a baseball cap down far enough that most people couldn't see her face. Eventually, we reached a door that looked no different than the fifty others that we past, and May stopped. She walked inside without a second thought. There were computer monitors everywhere, and people sitting at various counsels who had no clue they were in the presence of Hawkeye and The Cavalry. Not that I'd call her that.

May took a seat at an open console, and plugged in a USB. We have car-zapping little balls, but in order to hack into a computer network, we use a USB? Really? I would think we'd get something cooler than that. But no, it ran it's way around the system, plucking out all of the information deemed "important". I wondered offhand if Natasha had written the program. I'd be home in time for dinner.

"This is going well." I said.

May gave me a look. "Don't say that."

And the best part was the look on the guy's face who walked in just as she said that. He was obviously one of the nerds in the intelligence division, as indicated by his frail frame and round glasses. He actually dropped the stack of papers in his arms when he saw May.

"Guys! That's the Cavalry!" He shouted as he pointed at May. Because, let's be fair. She's damn good at her job, but after a while of having the same few female spies screw up literally every plan you've come up with for the past few years, someone's going to finally remember what she looks like. It also didn't help that she was the only girl in the base, so it was a good guess that Hydra had an infiltrator.

May stood up, face tight. “Don't ever call me that.” I saw her reach for her darts, and then she was bolting out the door as two members collapsed to the floor. All before I could knock my non-existent arrow. The nerd laid on his back out in the hallway. I looked at him, and he looked at me for a moment.

"Well don't stand there! Get her !" Ok... So, I'm not going to complain about not having my cover blown, but he recognizes May, and he thinks that I'm just another grunt? Hawkeye here? Hello? The other spy with the bow and arrows... Oh, so he just thinks that Hawkeye needs to have his bow to be Hawkeye? Well, I'd say I'll show him, but this is kind of an undercover operation. I also realized that May left the USB in the computer, so I pocketed it before someone noticed.

"Got it!" I replied. I then chased after the gunfire indicating May's presence. I made a few turns, ran down a few corridors, but the gunfire stopped before I could find it.

Then, May spoke into the comms system linked between us, "Hawkeye..."

"Yes?"

"I've... I've been captured." She sounded pretty frustrated in my ear.

"Wait, really?"

"Shut up. Call Fury. We need back up."

"What?"

"We need back up."

"No, no. I got this."

"What?"

"You heard me. I got this. Give me... five minutes."

"Hawkeye, you're useless right now. Call Fury."

I tried to yell as softly as I could, because that pissed me off, "I'm more than just a bow and freaking arrow. OK? Now, I'm going to break you out of here, and we're not calling Fury, and you're telling everyone how I'm a better spy than you."

May sighed.

"What?"

"I never thought that the one time we both get caught would be because of one Hydra soldier with a really good memory and a bunch of unmarked corridors."

Alright. That's it. Let's go. Hawkeye versus the world. Without the bow. Bring it.

 

And five minutes later I was lost in the catacombs of white tiled floors and identical dry-wall passages. Great. Just great. I tried looking inside some rooms to see if there was a map. I opened one door, and found something more interesting than a map. It was the factory floor. In the middle of the room, white lab coated scientists welded parts of a giant, robotic walker together. It didn't look like any of Stark's suits, but more like something out of Avatar, blue people Avatar. It had an open cockpit, and four gangly appendages sticking out from it.

"Looks great, doesn't it?" Someone asked me. I turned to see a Hydra member gazing at the robotic walker.

"Yeah..."

"You see, it's nothing really new, but it's cheap, so we can actually mass produce them! Imagine getting to drive one of these."

"That'd be fun."

"Totally."

Then, I got an idea, "Hey, I'm kind of new around here, do you know where the detention block is?"

"Sure. I'll take you there. This place is hella confusing."

"Tell me about it." Oh my god. I am so rubbing this in May's face after I break her out. I'm getting directions there to her, from a Hydra soldier. This is awesome.

I followed the guy back into the hallway, where we continued to make small talk.

"What do you need from the detention block?"

"Well, I heard that they caught the Cavalry, I just want to see her in person."

"Really? They did? How'd they do that?"

"I don't know, I wasn't there."

"But that's still awesome. I wonder if they'll be able to get someone even more difficult to capture."

I turned to him with a confused look on my face, "Like who? This is The Cavalry we're talking about."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be near impossible to detain any of the Avengers? Assuming they have their gear of course."

"I guess you have a point."

"Yeah, like Thor would just strike us all with lightning, Captain America would use his shield like a freaking boomerang, and Hawkeye would just shoot some sort of arrow and he'd be gone."

"Wait, you think Hawkeye would be harder to catch than The Cavalry? Or Black Widow?" I had to slip that last one in. She'd missed all the fun.

"Of course, man! He probably has, like, three different arrows just to get out of those sort of sticky situations. Speaking of sticky situations, looks like we're here."

He turned another corner, and there it was: the detention block. With one stone faced prisoner looking right at us through the bars. Her equipment was spread out over a table where a guard slept in his seat. I casually strolled over and started picking up things.

"You should be careful with those, we don't want to be blowing ourselves up." my guide warned me.

"I know, I know. I'm careful." I caught May’s gaze, and winked at her.

"Hey, I don't think I got your name."

"Oh, sorry. My name's Clint. Clint Barton."

"That's a weird name..."

I felt so bad about doing this to my one and only Hydra fan, but I had to. I was kind of on a mission.

"Well, you might know me better as Hawkeye." I said. Then, that look of understanding and horror washed over my guide's face as I armed one of May's pocket grenades, and one of her flash bangs. I threw the grenade at May’s cell, and the flash bang at the Hydra member. As they both went off, I stabbed the now awake guard. May swiped the rest of her things off the table in one fluid motion, and we both sprinted past my guide, who was still dazed.

"Seems like you two hit it off.” May said as we bolted down another corridor.

"He was a nice guy. And a fan." I replied. A Hydra member popped out of a door and pointed his assault rifle at us. I knocked the gun out of the way before he could pull the trigger, and then cut him across the chest.

"There, now I'm at two." I said. May threw a knife at another gunman in front of us. I didn't think she'd bother to respond, but-

"Seventeen."

"I'm not going to lose this."

She armed another grenade and tossed it behind us, "Nineteen."

"That's so not fair."

Not before too long, we found ourselves back in the docking bay where we parked the truck. But there was something new in there. You remember that robotic walker from earlier? Yeah, he was there.

"I got this." I said. The cockpit was open, so it was a straight shot to the pilot. I tossed my knife in the air, and caught it by the blade. And then screamed in pain. And then dropped it. Not because I caught the sharp part... no. I had forgotten that I had grabbed Tony's experimental, new, super heated knife. Yeah. And it was piping hot.

"Barton, you're an embarrassment." May said as I grabbed my hand and screamed in pain. The walker lumbered toward us, ready to attack with those ridiculous looking arms. May performed the same little toss, except her knife was room temperature. Then, she threw it, and hit the pilot. Right between the eyes. The walker stumbled backward. I heard the screams of a few Hydra member that it crushed as if fell.

May struck one of those poses that essentially says "And what are you going to do about it?" with those stone cold eyes and dead pan expression.

"That only counts as one." I muttered. She rolled her eyes.

"Let's go, Gimli." She jogged over to the truck.

"Wait, I thought I was Legolas." I replied as I followed her. May put the car in reverse, and burst through the docking bay garage door. Even with the sound of gunfire in the background, the ride to the Quinjet went smoothly.

"You got the USB, right?" May asked as she parked.

"I got it."

"Good."

"Also, I want to make a point that I was as useful if not more useful than you during this mission. Without my bow."

May took her seat behind the wheel, "You know, I get the whole 'prove you're better to other people’ thing. But Barton, you should stick to your strengths." I swear, that was the most words I’d ever heard her say at one time.

"What? I did a fine job without my bow. It's called expanding your horizons. Actually, I'm surprised you got caught in the first place."

"Barton."

"Yes?"

"I got caught, because if they caught you too, then there was no way we'd be on our way back to HQ right now."

"How do you know that they would've caught me?"

"If you caught up to me, someone would've noticed how you couldn’t hit me, or failed to capture me, or aided me."

"You don't know that."

"Would you shoot me, Barton?"

I thought about the question for a while. I knew that if we were switched places, May would shoot me without a second thought. Not kill me, but definitely shoot me.

"I should probably just stick to my bow and arrow."

"I thought so."

 

When we entered Director Fury's office, we were still wearing our stolen Hydra uniforms. I pulled out the USB.

"I'll trade you this for my bow." I said.

"Sounds good." Fury put my bow and arrow on the table. I tossed him the USB and gathered my stuff.

"I assume everything went smoothly then?"

"I'll write up a report later today." May volunteered.

"Great." Fury plugged the USB into a port on his desk, and a hologram of the data inside appeared above his desk. He made some gestures to look through it until he found the data that their hacking program found. He opened the file and... there was a long line of gibberish.

"What?" I asked.

"Barton." May said with resignation, "You forgot to eject the USB from the computer. Didn’t you?"

"Uh..."

"God damn it, Barton! Everything is corrupted!" Fury shouted.

"I had to chase after May!"

"May can handle herself! You always eject the USB, Barton. Even first-graders know this."

“I—"

May put a hand on my shoulder as she turned to leave, "As I said, stick to your strengths."

I honestly couldn't tell if she was shaking her head in disappointment, or concealing an amused smile. Probably both.

 


End file.
